


Passion fruit, mango and chocolate cake

by orphan_account



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Teachers, Baking, Domestic, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Snowed In
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2019-03-01 05:15:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13287762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Finn braves the oncoming snowstorm to help Poe bake his grandfather's Christmas cake.





	Passion fruit, mango and chocolate cake

**Author's Note:**

> Beta'ed by the wonderful @theskythatwontfall !

Finn should have told Poe he was going to cancel going to his place to help him out with his grandfather's recipe.

The weather report announced unusually heavy snowfall for early December. They were probably exaggerating, but caution dictated that Finn shouldn't drive to the countryside. They had decided that Finn would come to Poe's place in the afternoon as Finn had a class to teach in the morning. Baking Poe's cake could take quite a long time, depending on its complexity and Poe's level of competency. Then, Finn, would have to drive back home after the sun had set, facing the snowstorm.

Or worse, he would have to spend the night at Poe's place, if the roads became impracticable. 

Yet, here he was in his car, his tires scrunching on the thin layer of snow.

Finn looked at the GPS app on his phone tied to the dashboard, guiding him outside town. Poe lived in a farmhouse in the same hamlet as his father, he had explained to him once in the teacher's room. The house was in a sad state when he bought it, and he spent the last two years renovating it with the help of his father and his friends. Finn remembered with a fond smile the pictures Poe once spent a hour showing him in the teacher's breakroom. Poe was fond of his new home, and Finn thought from the pictures that it was going to be the coziest place he has ever seen. As Finn took the road, he recalled the soft blue and brown tones of the living room - Poe had been really into the whole hygge trend - the thick fleece plaid draping the couch, the wooden beams and the white ceiling and walls. He pictured Poe looking through the kitchen window, telling him the snow layer was too thick to move his car, and announcing him he would need to sleep there. Finn would take the couch and Poe would let him borrow his warm pajamas and a thick pillow, and Finn would wrap himself in the fleece plaid, and Poe would jokingly kneel in front of the couch to wish him goodnight, but then -

Finn jumped, his musings interrupted by the loud horn blast of the driver behind him. He hadn't even noticed the lights at the crossroad turning green. He waved at the person behind him to apologize, and revved up the engine.

 

  
Poe imagined that considering the weather, Finn had cancelled his visit to his place. And yet, he had not sent him any text or called him to tell him he wouldn't show up. It wasn't the kind of thing Finn would do - cancelling plans without warning Poe (or anyone) first. So, Poe thought as he pulled his phone from his pocket to check for any text, it meant that Finn was still coming. 

It was a terrible idea, Poe thought, considering the snow falling . Perhaps, he should have been the one to cancel it -  _ sorry buddy, best to do it another time when the sky doesn't threaten to fall on our heads -  _ but perhaps it would have been a tad overprotective. After all, Finn was the one who was driving, and he would know if he should take the road or not. 

Poe looked through the window, watching the snowflakes growing thicker, covering the grass of his front yard and the wooden poles of the fence of a delicate white layer. If Finn showed up, and the snow kept falling through the afternoon and the evening, it would be very difficult for Finn to drive home. Especially here in the countryside, where it was always a bit colder than in the town. For Finn's safety, it would be best if he stayed the night. So Finn would stay to help him bake the cake, and then Poe would make him dinner. They could spend the whole evening together. Talking and joking for hours, without worrying about going to their next class, or caring about the sound of their conversation disturbing their colleagues working. They could watch a movie together on the couch, sitting so close their thighs would touch. When it would be late enough to go to bed, he could offer Finn to sleep in his room, warmer than the living room. Finn would insist to take the couch, but Poe would convince him to use his bed. Poe would wish him goodnight as they both stood in the doorframe, and then perhaps…

BB-8 jumped from her bed and trotted to the door, ears twitching. Poe listened closely, and heard the sound of a car parking in front of his house.

Could it be…

He opened the door, the cold wind blowing snowflakes into the hallway.

His heart raced as he recognized Finn's car. Finn stopped the car and opened the door, waving at him and BB-8. The puppy's ears rose, and she jumped headfirst into the snow.

  
"BB-8, no!" Poe yelled as the brown and white border collie pup crossed the front garden and greeted Finn in front of the car, her little icy paws pressed against his jeans. 

Finn laughed, leaning forward to pet the dog's head. "Nice to meet you too! But if you could just let me get in..." Cold water was starting to seep through the fabric. The dog was also effectively blocking him from walking through the fence door.

"BB-8!" Poe yelled again, and the dog finally took notice, leaving Finn alone and running back at full speed towards the house, tail wagging. She jumped on Poe's brown pants as he called her a good girl for coming back, holding her back gently so she wouldn't ruin his pants. Finn's heart fluttered in his chest when he saw how Poe looked at his dog. Even through the thick curtain of snow, he could see the twinkle in his eyes and his joyful smile. 

"Sorry about that, buddy," Poe said, when the dog disappeared from the hallway. His soft brown eyes were on him, now, and Finn felt his knees go weak.

"N-nevermind," Finn said, and he started trudging through the snow to the door.

  
  


"I was wondering if you'd come," Poe told him after they briefly embraced on the doorstep and walked into the hallway.

"Why? Am I late?" Finn asked, worried. He thought he had left his house early enough so he could be on time, even with the weather.

Poe shook his head quickly. "No no no no, I meant, with that weather," and he gestured towards the now closed door. Poe reached out a hand to take the thick coat Finn was shedding off.

"You said it was important, and it's not a little snow that's going to stop me," Finn said with a smile. Their hands brushed as Finn handed him his coat. His fingers were deliciously warm against Finn's cold skin, and Finn inhaled a bit too loudly.

"Well, it's just a cake, it's not kill-yourself-driving-through-the-blizzard important," Poe said after a pause. He turned around to hang the coat on the wall, strategically placed over a floorcloth.

"That's definitely not a blizzard, and I'm a careful driver," Finn countered. He undid his boots, placing them on the floorcloth. The hem of his pants was soaked with water, and he shivered when it touched his socks. "Can I see the recipe again?"

Poe left for the kitchen, BB-8 on his heels, coming back with a printed out piece of paper. "Translated from Spanish." Finn thanked him, and sat down on the couch. He felt the weight of Poe next to him as the other man sat down as well.

The list of ingredients was complete, but the instructions were partial at best. Finn figured the cake part was a génoise. There was also a curd with the passionfruit and the mango, a mango syrup to soak the cake with, and a chocolate ganache. The instructions were minimal, more or less "make the fruit curd/syrup/ganache", with little info on how to  _ actually _ make them. 

Finn lowered the recipe on his lap.

"So?"

"Well, this isn't exactly easy mode," Finn thought. "How good would you say you are with pastry making?"

"Do pancakes and cookies count?" 

Finn laughed. "It's a start." He looked at Poe. A frown was putting a cloud over his face.

"Poe?"

Poe scratched the back of his neck, the corner of his lips turned downwards. "My grandfather used to make it for Christmas every year. I found the recipe from his old notebook six months ago while cleaning up the attic at my father's place. I was looking forward to try making it this year, but if it's too hard…" His voice died down.

"Poe, it's not too hard."

Poe shrugged. "You're amazing at the whole baking thing, Finn," he said, the praise genuine. Finn felt his cheeks warm up.

"I don't think it's too hard for you, either, Finn insisted. I'll show you how to make it today, like we said, then you'll train, and after a few tries I'm sure you'll be fine to do it completely on your own."

Poe beamed at him. "You're right, sorry. I shouldn't give up so easily." He smiled warmly. "Besides I have the best teacher I could ever hope for, so there's no way we're gonna fuck this up, right?"

"Damn right," Finn said, trying to put aside how his cheeks and neck were basically burning at Poe's compliments. He stood up from the couch. "Then, let's get started."

  
  


The small kitchen was filled with the scents of melting chocolate and  tropical fruits as Poe and Finn got to work. Or more exactly, as Poe got to work, while Finn gave him the instructions and shared his best baking tips. Finn was in his element, speaking without hesitation, guiding Poe without ordering him around, keeping his cool even when Poe started freaking whenever something wasn't working. Poe already knew what a great guy Finn was. Always polite, friendly and humble, with an inner strength that allowed him to learn from his mistakes and stand up for what he believed him. Poe had been getting hints that Finn was a good teacher as well, from the comments Poe's students made about their new life science teacher, to when Poe and Finn found themselves the only ones defending Year 11-C’s Cassian at the teachers' conference.

Right now, Poe was playing the part of the student, and he found himself enjoying it at lot. What first looked like an impossibly complicated recipe, once broken down by Finn, seemed almost easy to do for someone like Poe, who knew very little about baking. In part, it was due to Finn's clear explanations, and in other part, it was because Finn was really good at defusing tension - taking the lead when Poe was getting nervous, cracking a few jokes here and there to get the both of them to relax. Poe finally understood why the students he shared with Poe were gushing about Finn. Poe would have loved to have a teacher like Finn when he was in high school.

Save maybe for the whole "having a crush on Finn" situation. Yes, Poe was having fun, as Finn had turned the situation around from "Poe rising up to face his grandfather's culinary legacy" to "two pals having a fun afternoon," but Poe feared he would metaphorically die before the cake was finished. Finn was hovering behind him at all times, far enough to respect Poe's boundaries but close enough to react when something was going wrong. It made Poe's aware of Finn's presence at all times, Finn was never quite leaving Poe's field of vision whenever Poe looked up from the stove, and Poe caught himself staring when Finn's head hovered over his shoulder. Finn also had a pretty hands-on approach to baking, and after Finn asked for permission, Poe would find himself with his back against Finn's chest, while Finn's hand covered his own, guiding his hand to mix or stir or fold ingredients using the right amount of force and proper technique. And each time, even after bracing himself for it, he felt his heart flutter in his chest, and found himself relishing the brief skin-on-skin contact, and mourning it silently when Finn's hand vanished. Finn would always smile at him after letting go, that soft smile that made Poe go weak, and by the time they were slicing the cake in three layers and getting on with the assembly, Poe thought there was no way Finn didn't know Poe's feelings.

Right now, Finn was looking through the kitchen window, leaning on the counter, after he had shown Poe how to soak up the genoise with the mango syrup.

"Is it still snowing?" Poe asked without looking up.

"Yeah. It has been snowing… a lot." Finn chuckled. "My car is going to hate me for letting her stay out in the cold."

Poe put  the silicone brush back in the syrup bowl, and looked through the window. The lone street lamp lighted a curtain of thick snowflakes piling on the road and front gardens. Poe wouldn't have recognized Finn's car if he hadn't seen it parked in front of his house earlier today. The layer of snow had reached half the height of Finn's car wheels. Poe retraced the roads Finn would have taken from the city to Poe's hamlet, with all the slopes and turns through the countryside. The ride back, with all that snow, at night time… It was dangerous.

"You… you should probably stay the night," Poe said in a low voice. He looked at Finn to see a surprised look on the other man's face.

"Is that alright? I don't want to cause trouble."

Poe shook his head. "Me thinking of you navigating through that snow is the only thing that would cause me trouble, Finn." He shrugged. "Besides, if you're here it's because of me."

Finn scratched the back of his neck. "Not really, I'm the one who should have cancelled since I was the one driving here."

"No, it's on me, pal, should have called to tell you it was better if we did it another time."

"But then, we'd have been overworked with the end of trimester evals and everything, and you wouldn't have been able to give it a try before Christmas," Finn countered.

Poe smiled. Finn wasn't going to give up on what he saw as his part of responsibility, no matter how much Poe would argue of the opposite. "Okay, let's say it's both our fault. I'd still feel better if you stayed here tonight and went home tomorrow. With that much snow I'm willing to bet the schools will stay closed tomorrow, anyway." 

He took a step towards Finn, and placed his hand on Finn's arm. "Stay for the night, please?"

Finn remained silent a second, his eyes scrutinizing Poe's face. Finally, he smiled brightly. "Alright, I'll stay."

Poe felt a weight getting lifted off of his shoulders. "Great. I'll make dinner," he said quickly. "And there will be dessert."

"Really?" Finn asked, faking surprise. "What kind of dessert?"

"A chocolate and  tropical fruits cake. My grandfather's recipe," Poe said, as he pulled out a spatula and covered one layer of the cake with the thick, rich, chocolate and cinnamon ganache they had made earlier.

"I didn't know you baked," Finn replied, standing up from the kitchen counter.

"It's a rather recent character development."

"Should I get worried about how your cake will turn out?" Finn slid behind Poe. "Don't press the spatula too hard on the cake," he whispered quickly, before taking a step backwards.

"I don't think so. It's going to be a killer cake." Poe adjusted his gesture, spreading the ganache as evenly as he could.

"You sound pretty confident."

"That's cause a very good friend of mine, who is also a terrific baker in his spare time, helped me do it. So I know it's going to be great, because of him, you know," Poe said, putting another layer of syrup-soaked genoise on top of the ganache.

"I can't wait to taste it, then," Finn replied, beaming at him. 

 

  
  
Finn let himself drop on Poe's couch. He realized right now that he had been standing for hours in the kitchen, and his back was complaining about it. 

He had wanted to help Poe making dinner, but his friend had argued that Finn was now his guest, and that it didn't feel right for Poe to ask his guest for help in the kitchen. Finn knew that Poe could just be as stubborn as him, and gave in, retreating to the living room. 

He pulled out his phone from his pocket and checked his notifications. Turns out, Poe had been right - due to the unexpected amount of snow, the county administrator had ordered for schools to stay closed tomorrow. Rey had sent him a few pictures, and he laughed when he saw the trash can of a car that had rolled into her shop.  _ How is this still running _ , she wrote under the pics.

He sent her a pic of the finished cake he had taken earlier. He found it a bit cheesy to take pictures of food, but when he had seen how happy and excited Poe was about it, shooting it with his phone from at least three different angles, he had felt compelled to do the same. If only to keep a memory if the afternoon. 

"Operation cake was a huge success," Finn typed after sending her the picture. It was looking great - top covered in cocoa powder, with small chocolate shavings at the decorating the side. How it would look like on the inside once cut, and the  taste, that was still up in the air. But Finn was confident that the cake would keep itself together. As for the taste - everything had tasted great individually, and chocolate and tropical fruits worked well together, so there was no doubt in his mind it would be good. 

Finn put his phone back into his pocket. He listened to the sounds coming from the kitchen - the cooker hood, Poe's footsteps, a wooden spoon turning into a saucepan. It felt nice to relax a little, Finn admitted. He pondered on what Poe had said -  _ you're my guest, now _ . He was a guest in Poe's home, Poe was making him dinner, and then he would stay the night. And everything felt a little different, now. It wasn't like two guys sharing a pizza and beers after one helped the other move in.

It felt like a date.

Finn felt his cheeks flare up. He wanted to squash the idea from his mind like a mosquito, but it was too late. He knew he was getting his hopes up for no reason, that it would end up in disaster - if he did something incredibly stupid like confess his huge crush on Poe, and got rejected, it would undoubtedly mess up their friendship. And Finn liked his friendship with Poe very much.

On the other hand, a little voice told him, he might not have any other chance. They were in Poe's house instead of the teachers' room, so they would not be interrupted. Poe had called him his guest and insisted for him to stay over the night. He had been praising him and his baking skills all afternoon. Finn had noticed, too, the way Poe's breath hitched a little whenever he had put his hand over his. Caught him staring a few times. 

It wasn't all in his head, right? Finn really hoped it wasn't all in his head.

BB's paws clicked on the wooden floor, snapping Finn out of his thoughts. The puppy carried a rope bone in her mouth. She made eye contact with Finn, and barked softly through her toy, her tail wagging. Finn kneeled on the floor.

"Wanna play fetch?" he asked.

The dog stepped backward, but still assuming a playful posture. Finn quirked an eyebrow, and reached out a hand. The dog didn't back down, until Finn got hold of one end of the toy.

"Oh, you wanna play tug!" Finn realized. For her small size, she was quite strong. Finn resisted for a few seconds, before letting it go, and watching BB take several steps back due to the momentum. She dropped the toy at her feet, before looking into Finn's eyes again.

"And now you wanna play fetch," Finn mused, and he threw the bone across the room. BB ran off after it, nearly making Poe trip as he stepped out of the kitchen, carrying a white wine bottle and two glasses. Poe shouted, surprised.

"Sorry!" Finn apologized, biting his lip, still kneeling on the floor. Unbothered, BB was running back to Finn with the bone in her mouth.

"It's fine," Poe said, putting the bottle and the glasses on the dining table. "Seems like you two are getting along pretty well," he continued, looking at Finn as Finn tugged on the rope bone.

Finn once again let go of the toy. "Poor thing got probably bored after we left her out of the kitchen all afternoon." He looked up at Poe.

Poe was beaming at them both, his arms crossed on his chest, leaning against the kitchen's door frame. His gaze and smile were impossibly soft, and Finn felt as if his heart was plunged in a bath of warm water. The warmth spread to his whole body, and he couldn't help but smile in return, exhaling deeply. They stood still, looking at each other from across the room. BB barked, upset that Finn wasn't playing with her anymore.

"I-I should get back to make dinner," Poe said, breaking the silence. "It's going to be ready soon."

Finn nodded, and Poe walked back inside the kitchen to finish setting up the table. Finn petted BB for a bit, before standing up, heading to the bathroom to wash his hands. He looked at his reflection in the mirror. His heart was still racing in his chest, but at the same time, he was smiling so hard the corner of his lips started to hurt. He closed his eyes and steadied his breathing -in, out, in, out, in, out. 

There was no way it had all been in his head, he thought.

_ Don't screw this up _ , he told himself, and stepped back into the hallway.

  
  


Poe walked back from the kitchen a few minutes later, holding on two plates of ravioli with sautéed mushrooms and snow peas. Finn let Poe pour them both a glass of wine, before they both  dove right into their meal. Finn was so hungry he could have eaten pretty much anything, but it tasted  delicious. The cheese ravioli was fresh and cooked for just the right time. Poe definitely didn't make them, but he likely bought them yesterday or today at a deli store. So either Poe liked to have fancy meals by himself, or he had been hoping Finn wouldn't cancel their plans and at the very least, stay for dinner. That, plus the bottle of white wine Poe had opened… Yeah, they were definitely on a date. A home date, but a date nonetheless.

"Is everything alright?" Poe asked, his glass in hand. Finn realized he had stopped eating, too deep in his thoughts.

"I'm fine, just a bit tired," Finn explained, shoving the lukewarm ravioli he had stabbed with his fork in his mouth. "This is pretty good," Finn continued, taking a sip of wine out of his glass.

"Thanks," Poe replied, "got them at the Italian deli down the street from the school."

"Felucia's?"

Poe nodded.

"They sell the best parmesan, but I never got to trying their pasta," Finn said. Felucia's store was on the expensive side, and Finn had felt a bit guilty when he had spent some good money on a piece of cheese with his first school paycheck. Finn guessed their handmade ravioli weren't cheap, either. Poe was really going all out, and Finn felt both flattered and undeserving of such attention.

"Thanks for fixing that for me," Finn replied. 

Poe made a little bow, grinning. "You're welcome."

They emptied their plates and glasses while making small talk, and before Finn noticed it, Poe was already bringing the dishes back to the kitchen, while telling again to stay there and that he didn't need his help, it was fine.

"Got some room for dessert?" Poe asked joyfully, opening the fridge.

"You bet I do," Finn replied. He was getting impatient to know how the cake was going to turn up.  

The cake hadn't collapsed while resting in the fridge, which was already a good sign. Poe's face was lit up with pride as he put it down on the table. He turned around to get dessert cutlery from the cupboard, before backtracking and pulling his phone out again.

Finn laughed. "You seriously want to take a picture again?"

"What?" Poe said. "It's for reference when I'll be alone and I'll have to do it again." He held out his phone a little too high to only have the cake in the frame, though.

"Poe, you better not be taking a picture of me," Finn said, hiding his face behind his raised arm. His face felt like burning again.

"There are worse things to take pictures of," Poe argued, but he gave up on trying to snap a pic of Finn, anyway.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you're a cute guy," Poe said, his eyes focused on his phone's screen.

There was a little silence as the phone's flash went off.

Finn's heart skipped one or several beats. He tried to swallow through the huge lump in his throat threatening to suffocate him. Cute. A cute guy.  _ Poe had called him a cute guy _ . Finn was never going to recover from it.

Poe was looking at him like a deer caught in the headlights. "I mean, objectively, you're objectively handsome."

"Oh," Finn managed to breathe out. "Thanks."

"Y-You're welcome." Poe took a long, deep breath. "Okay, plates, forks, knife," Poe whispered to himself. 

Poe's exit back to the kitchen gave them both some time to regain their composure, and Poe seemed to have gone back to his usual cheerful, confident self. Finn watched anxiously as Poe cut the cake in two, then in four, and finally cut off the first slice. 

It looked exactly as Finn had imagined it would. Neatly stacked dark brown layers of cake and ganache, contrasting with the one layer of bright orange mango and passionfruit curd. If Finn were finicky, he would say something about the ganache layers not being the same height, but it didn't really matter.

Poe handed him the plate with the largest slice.

Finn took the first bite, eyes closed.

It tasted amazing. The ganache was rich and full of chocolate flavor, with only a hint of the cinnamon powder they had added. The syrup-soaked genoise kept it for feeling too heavy, providing a much-needed freshness. As for the curd, it was waking up the whole cake, giving it a welcome depth of flavor. 

He swallowed, and opened his eyes to see Poe still chewing on his own slice.

"How is it?" Finn asked Poe.

"It's really great," Poe replied. "Really brings back memories of when my grandfather used to make it." His eyes twinkled. "Tastes like it used to."

Finn smiled at him, overcome with a sense of pride and the feeling of having done something right. "I'm really glad."

They went back to eating, each of them savouring it in silence.

"So, Finn, how did you learn to bake in the first place? From relatives?" Poe asked after a minute.

Finn shook his head. "I had a part-time job at a bakery when I was in high school. I was just supposed to work at the counter, but whenever I had a slow afternoon,  the owner would let me into the laboratory  to watch him work. A few weeks later, he asked me if I wanted to stay for one hour after closing the shop, so he could start teaching me the basics." Finn smiled as he remembered this part of his teenagehood. These were among the first truly happy memories he had made, after Maz took him in her home. "I was a bit awkward as a teen, but learning a skill - any skill, but it ended up being baking - it really gave me the confidence boost I needed."

Poe listened to him intently, the fork placed on his plate, his head leaning on his hand. "Sounds like a great guy. You never thought about turning it into your full-time job?"

Finn took another bite, to give him some time to articulate his thoughts. "Yes, I did. But I realized what I liked about it was that it allowed me to empty my mind and not think too much. I was very much doing it for leisure. Working in or owning a bakery meant turning this into my source of income, with all the pressure that came with it, you know?"

Poe nodded, cutting up another piece of his own slice.

"I also loved going to school and learning new things. Especially the science classes. I didn't want to give up on them to learn baking full-time. So I kept doing it as a hobby while I went to uni, and one thing leading to another, and here I am," Finn said.

"You never regretted your choice?"

"Not really? There are the times everything seems to be going wrong, and I wish I was alone in a laboratory doing something with my hands, but it happens to everyone of us at least once, I imagine."

Poe laughed. "There has been a few times I had wanted to go back to tending to my dad's cows, even when it meant getting up at five to get ready for the morning milking." He dragged the fork across his now empty plate, trying to clean off the ganache. "Well, I'm happy things have turned out the ways they did. Otherwise I might have never met you, and I'd have one less great guy in my group of friends."

Finn pinched his lips and lowered his gaze to his also-empty plate, finding it difficult to keep on holding Poe's gaze. He took a deep breath. He was a full-grown adult, damn it, and he needed to feel embarrassed every time someone praised him. "Thanks, Poe," he said, looking up and meeting Poe's eyes. "You're a great guy, too, you know. I'm glad I got to meet you, as well."

In the light of the dining room, Finn was sure he saw Poe's cheeks turn red. Finn watched as Poe bit his lower lip, sounding out his face, before shrugging and chuckling softly.

"So, erm, do you want another slice?"

  
  


This time, Poe had failed to keep Finn out of the kitchen. Finn had insisted for helping him wash the dishes, and his attitude and tone indicated that he wouldn't take no for an answer. It still felt a little wrong for Poe to let a guest help out the host, but Poe decided to shrug it off at least for tonight.

They stood almost shoulder to shoulder, their fingers brushing as Poe handed Finn the pans and bowls for him to dry off. They washed and stored everything in a comfortable, efficient silence. The room was quiet enough to hear the sounds of the night - the wind blowing, the water falling from the gutter outside, the creaking of the wooden beam, BB's deep breaths as she slept in her basket in one corner of the kitchen.

Everything felt peaceful and perfect. Poe could get used to it - all of it. He and Finn living under the same roof, cooking and baking and talking, or simply staying silent and relishing each other's presence even while doing the most mundane activities. 

Poe handed Finn the last plate and emptied the sink. He watched as Finn wiped it dry and opened the cupboard to store it on top of the plate pile. How could a man look so handsome while doing the dishes, Poe wondered. His gaze trailed on his thick thighs as Finn was crouching in front of the open cupboard, to his well-defined chest, broad shoulders and muscled arms, before studying his soft facial features, his full smiling lips and his expressive brown eyes.

Finn looked up and caught him staring. "What?" he asked with a chuckle.

Nothing, Poe thought first. He felt the tension rise between them once again like the tide. At first, he wanted to dodge it once again, crack up a joke, start up a conversation once again. Anything that would distract Poe's mind from how good Finn looked tonight, or his urge to wrap himself around him and kiss him senseless. 

He could bottle up his feelings once again, do a better job than earlier, when he had taken the cake out of the fridge.

Or he could take a chance, for once. Figure out if Finn's reactions to his compliments were embarrassment as he feared, or as Poe hoped, a hint that Finn wanted something more out of their relationship, as well.

He stood up straight from leaning against the kitchen sink, and took the single step between he and Finn. His cheeks were tingling from the rush of blood as he locked eyes with Finn. Thankfully, Finn didn't step back, and looked right back at him, a light smile on his lips. Okay, that was good, now all Poe needed to do was not fuck this whole thing up.

He reached out his hand to brush it against the back of Finn's arm, starting from the tip of his fingers and slowly sliding it all the way up to his shoulders, in a long, uninterrupted motion, trying very hard to look cool while feeling Finn's bare skin under his fingertips gave him goosebumps. All he could hear was the sound of his own breath and his heart pounding in his chest. 

Finn hadn't moved. Waiting, patiently. If anything, his smile had grown bigger.

Poe moved his hand from Finn's shoulder, and placed it on Finn's jaw, cradling it gently.

Finn closed his eyes.

They leaned in at the same time. 

Their first kiss is soft and brief, Poe pressing his mouth to Finn's lower lip,  lips touching for less than a second, before Poe pulled back. He opened his eyes, anxious to see Finn's reaction.

Finn had stars in his eyes. He chuckled quietly, before wrapping his arms around Poe's waist, and gently pulling him forward, chests touching, before covering Poe's mouth with his own, pressing them tightly together. Their lips moved together, slow at first, each of them basking into the other's body heat, nerves crackling and breathing hitched, arms running up and down the other's spines as they were locked into a tender embrace.

They broke off as Poe started to feel light-headed, his senses overwhelmed and his heart full of love and happiness. They breathed out and in, foreheads pressed, still holding on to the other.

"Poe," Finn whispered, joy and relief transpiring through his words. Even as their bodies blocked most of the light, Poe could see his eyes were twinkling, wide-open as he was taking in the situation, with the sunniest, biggest smile Poe had ever seen him do. I did this, Poe thought, I did this and Finn wanted to kiss me as much I wanted to and this is the best day of my life.

"What?" Poe asked, trying to play it cool but failing as his voice sounded shaky to his own ears.

"Finally," Finn said.

He kissed Poe again.

  
  
  
  
The sun had risen, its rays sliding through the window blinds, painting the floating dust with shimmers of gold.

Finn had woken up, his eyes adjusting to the low light in Poe's bedroom. His right arm was numb, resting under Poe's waist. Finn was careful not to move it. Poe had wrapped himself around Finn, his arm slid between Finn's neck and shoulder, his fist closed behind Finn's head on the pillow, a leg hooked over Finn's hip. Their faces only a few inches apart, Finn remained still, watching Poe sleep, long eyelashes brushing his cheeks, his curly hair a beautiful mess on his face.

Finn was too hot from Poe's body heat and the bed covers. Yet he had no desire to move, taking in the quietness of the morning, relishing the moment of sharing the same bed from the man he had liked for months. It had been so long since the last time he ended up in bed with a partner, Finn only realized how much he had missed it all - not just the sex, but also the physical intimacy of cuddling and sleeping in someone's arms.

Poe's eyelids fluttered. 

"Hi beautiful," he croaked. He moved his arm from around Finn's neck to brush his knuckles against Finn's cheekbones.

"Good morning, handsome," Finn replied, his lips spreading into a smile. His left hand traced a line down Poe's bare side, palming the soft, warm skin. 

Poe's hand wrapped around Finn's neck as he leaned in and pressed a light kiss to Finn's lips. "Is there anywhere you need to be today?" he asked, his thumb rubbing over Finn's neck.

Finn pulled him closer, rolling onto his back, Poe taking the hint and flipping on top of him, straddling him. Finn looked at his lover's handsome face above his, at his perfect jawline, his pink lips and long eyelashes, at the soft brown of his eyes and at his dark curls falling on his forehead. 

_ Nowhere but here _ , Finn thought, before guiding Poe's mouth to his lips and kissing him passionately.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading my fanfic! If anything is troubling you, please do not hesitate to leave a comment!
> 
> The cake Poe and Finn bake in this fic is this one : http://cafefernando.com/passion-fruit-mango-and-chocolate-cake . I haven't personally baked it but it looks and sounds delicious to me!


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